Radiation, Driver's Ed, Class Party
"After surgery we knew we needed to get started on radiation. So I called over to there and said, “OK I need to get this started having radiation”. She said, “OK, well you need to understand you need to raise your hands above your head.” I said, “What!?” I could raise my right arm up to - so that my arm was straight out from my shoulder. I said, “This is all I can do.” And she says, “Well we can’t start radiation until you get that arm up.” I knew that having the surgery there under my armpit to remove the lymph nodes greatly limited my ability to get my arm up. But I had to get that arm up.
"I had to do it. So I put a piece of tape up on the wall in the dining room area everyday I would walk my fingers up –they tell me- walk your hands up the wall and hold it there and then walk it back down and walk it back up and mark where you’re going to. Advise because I had asked the oncologist and the radiation people, “what can I do to get my arms so that I’m able to improve my range of motion?” So they described how– and I did that – I would walk my arm up and eat a piece of chocolate and walk it back down and walk it back up. I think I ate probably a pound or two of chocolate over the next weeks while I was getting my arm up.
"In two weeks I had my arm up where it needed to be, it was a little sore but I had my arm up so they could start radiation. I was determined that they could get that radiation started because I had cancer cells that needed to be killed. So we started radiation and the people there are wonderful. All the oncology nurses there at the chemo unit were fabulous, oh my gosh, they were wonderful. So kind and so supportive and sweet and wonderful and it had got to the point they knew my name, “how are you doing Lisa, how are the kids?” Ok they really teased me on my 5th round of chemo, it was about a week before I would be hosting Eric’s class for the Christmas party. And I’d been a little conflicted. Do I do the party or not?
"And I finally decided I can do it but I’m just going to have to have more help from the parents. So I sent a note out to the parents saying this is what’s going on in my life I’ve got cancer I’m going through chemo I’d like to do this party so I’m going to have to have more help than I usually have. I will have the house ready but I need to have people step up and do this. And they did!
"At this time there were 34 students in the class so it was a big group of kids because at fifth grade you have 34 – but great parents who really stepped up and helped. One of the things that I did- at least for the first several years – I didn’t do it for the last couple ones of Kylie’s years – is I would always make an ornament on the tree that was for the kids that would have their names on them. They were just little simple wood things and I would make these little ornaments and put them on the tree and at some point through the day during the party, a kid would notice, “There’s ornaments on the tree and our names are on them! Why are our names on them Mrs. Lambert?” “Those are for you at the end of the party.” They were so excited to find THEIR ornament on the tree and to take it home. I’d say, “Take your ornament off the tree.” They would carefully take it off and take it home.
"This particular chemo that I went to number five – I came with a whole slew of things to do. I had little bow ties for the teddy bear wreath ornaments that they were going to be making. I remember tying up these ribbons I had to do – and I came with all these things to do and they looked at me like I was nuts. “What are you doing?” “Well I have to do this because I’m working on my class Christmas party – you’re doing what and you’re going through chemo?” ”Oh yeah, I’ve got this to do and this to do and this…” A lot of the other patients were shaking their heads at me, and the nurses were just laughing at me because they knew that I tolerated it well and that I was happy when I had things to do and keep my hands busy while I was being there.
"I was crocheting things and I was doing all kinds of things. So when it was time for radiation I would go there every day. At this point in our lives, Amy was working on her Drivers ED stuff. She needed hours of driving. Amy has always been one who wants to feel like she is helping and like she’s useful, so we quickly worked out a routine they would schedule me for the very last radiation appointment of the day over at the hospital. I would have picked up Eric and Kylie from school from the elementary school because they got out at about 2:30 no 2:20 and so I’d bring them home get them a snack, get Eric started on his homework get Kylie with her homework done and then I would be waiting when the girls got dropped off after school at about 3:30. The car would pull up somewhere in there, the car would pull up I’d give Kristy a hug, she’d head into the house, “Hi Mom” “Hi honey” and she would go into the house and Amy would climb in the van and Amy would drive me to radiation.
"Now I tolerated radiation very well. I could have easily driven myself but there were two things going on here, Amy needed to do driving and she needed to feel like she was doing something to help. She was an awesome big sister, she helped around the house, she helped with the kids, but she needed to feel like there was something that she could do specifically to help me so this met that requirement. Kristy would then watch the kids, again she wanted to feel like there was something she could do, and I would try to reiterate to them how important that it was that they were taking care of the kids so I could go get these treatments that were going to save my life.
"All during that time she would drive me and then drive me home. It takes oh about twelve minutes and so she got about twenty five minutes of driving time each day for this driving to and from the hospital and this worked really, really well. I tolerated the radiation very well, the nurses would check me to see how my skin was holding up and they were actually able to finish the treatments without me getting too badly burned.
"It’s amazing because the lighter your skin the more burned you get with the radiation, the darker the skin the less burning happens. I have lily white skin and it got burnt. When you stop radiation the radiation is still building up in your body and your skin and the worst part comes about 10 to 14 days after you stop the treatments. I started the treatments in February and I finished them up the end of March and all this time I was still working yard duty.
"We ended up with about a two week period in there where I was gross - it had peeled several layers of skin, it had blistered and it had peeled I was scabby, and it was oozing and gross and my clothes were sticking to it – it was starting to scab and peel and so I couldn’t put my arm back down and I could not wear my (?) at all. I had my prosthesis I just had one at the time but couldn't wear it. Fortunately we hit a cold patch of weather there and so I had to wear my heavy winter coat and I was out on yard duty and that was perfect because that way you couldn’t tell very much how lopsided I was and also too, I would just put my hands on my hip. Julie was teasing me about having attitude today, and I said, “Nope, radiation burn.” She said, “Oooo are you okay?” I said, “yeah, I’m fine I just can’t put my arm down right now because its all burned under there.” So that’s what we did. I finally healed from that."
"I had to do it. So I put a piece of tape up on the wall in the dining room area everyday I would walk my fingers up –they tell me- walk your hands up the wall and hold it there and then walk it back down and walk it back up and mark where you’re going to. Advise because I had asked the oncologist and the radiation people, “what can I do to get my arms so that I’m able to improve my range of motion?” So they described how– and I did that – I would walk my arm up and eat a piece of chocolate and walk it back down and walk it back up. I think I ate probably a pound or two of chocolate over the next weeks while I was getting my arm up.
"In two weeks I had my arm up where it needed to be, it was a little sore but I had my arm up so they could start radiation. I was determined that they could get that radiation started because I had cancer cells that needed to be killed. So we started radiation and the people there are wonderful. All the oncology nurses there at the chemo unit were fabulous, oh my gosh, they were wonderful. So kind and so supportive and sweet and wonderful and it had got to the point they knew my name, “how are you doing Lisa, how are the kids?” Ok they really teased me on my 5th round of chemo, it was about a week before I would be hosting Eric’s class for the Christmas party. And I’d been a little conflicted. Do I do the party or not?
"And I finally decided I can do it but I’m just going to have to have more help from the parents. So I sent a note out to the parents saying this is what’s going on in my life I’ve got cancer I’m going through chemo I’d like to do this party so I’m going to have to have more help than I usually have. I will have the house ready but I need to have people step up and do this. And they did!
"At this time there were 34 students in the class so it was a big group of kids because at fifth grade you have 34 – but great parents who really stepped up and helped. One of the things that I did- at least for the first several years – I didn’t do it for the last couple ones of Kylie’s years – is I would always make an ornament on the tree that was for the kids that would have their names on them. They were just little simple wood things and I would make these little ornaments and put them on the tree and at some point through the day during the party, a kid would notice, “There’s ornaments on the tree and our names are on them! Why are our names on them Mrs. Lambert?” “Those are for you at the end of the party.” They were so excited to find THEIR ornament on the tree and to take it home. I’d say, “Take your ornament off the tree.” They would carefully take it off and take it home.
"This particular chemo that I went to number five – I came with a whole slew of things to do. I had little bow ties for the teddy bear wreath ornaments that they were going to be making. I remember tying up these ribbons I had to do – and I came with all these things to do and they looked at me like I was nuts. “What are you doing?” “Well I have to do this because I’m working on my class Christmas party – you’re doing what and you’re going through chemo?” ”Oh yeah, I’ve got this to do and this to do and this…” A lot of the other patients were shaking their heads at me, and the nurses were just laughing at me because they knew that I tolerated it well and that I was happy when I had things to do and keep my hands busy while I was being there.
"I was crocheting things and I was doing all kinds of things. So when it was time for radiation I would go there every day. At this point in our lives, Amy was working on her Drivers ED stuff. She needed hours of driving. Amy has always been one who wants to feel like she is helping and like she’s useful, so we quickly worked out a routine they would schedule me for the very last radiation appointment of the day over at the hospital. I would have picked up Eric and Kylie from school from the elementary school because they got out at about 2:30 no 2:20 and so I’d bring them home get them a snack, get Eric started on his homework get Kylie with her homework done and then I would be waiting when the girls got dropped off after school at about 3:30. The car would pull up somewhere in there, the car would pull up I’d give Kristy a hug, she’d head into the house, “Hi Mom” “Hi honey” and she would go into the house and Amy would climb in the van and Amy would drive me to radiation.
"Now I tolerated radiation very well. I could have easily driven myself but there were two things going on here, Amy needed to do driving and she needed to feel like she was doing something to help. She was an awesome big sister, she helped around the house, she helped with the kids, but she needed to feel like there was something that she could do specifically to help me so this met that requirement. Kristy would then watch the kids, again she wanted to feel like there was something she could do, and I would try to reiterate to them how important that it was that they were taking care of the kids so I could go get these treatments that were going to save my life.
"All during that time she would drive me and then drive me home. It takes oh about twelve minutes and so she got about twenty five minutes of driving time each day for this driving to and from the hospital and this worked really, really well. I tolerated the radiation very well, the nurses would check me to see how my skin was holding up and they were actually able to finish the treatments without me getting too badly burned.
"It’s amazing because the lighter your skin the more burned you get with the radiation, the darker the skin the less burning happens. I have lily white skin and it got burnt. When you stop radiation the radiation is still building up in your body and your skin and the worst part comes about 10 to 14 days after you stop the treatments. I started the treatments in February and I finished them up the end of March and all this time I was still working yard duty.
"We ended up with about a two week period in there where I was gross - it had peeled several layers of skin, it had blistered and it had peeled I was scabby, and it was oozing and gross and my clothes were sticking to it – it was starting to scab and peel and so I couldn’t put my arm back down and I could not wear my (?) at all. I had my prosthesis I just had one at the time but couldn't wear it. Fortunately we hit a cold patch of weather there and so I had to wear my heavy winter coat and I was out on yard duty and that was perfect because that way you couldn’t tell very much how lopsided I was and also too, I would just put my hands on my hip. Julie was teasing me about having attitude today, and I said, “Nope, radiation burn.” She said, “Oooo are you okay?” I said, “yeah, I’m fine I just can’t put my arm down right now because its all burned under there.” So that’s what we did. I finally healed from that."
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